Seeds are impossible to find of musa basjoo, for some reason. If you ever DO find some, let me know! LOL!

Wait until Spring and buy a plant from HD or Lowes, or a local nursery. Just call around your area, surely someone in Atlanta will carry them. If not, there are lots of sources online for musa basjoo. You could also wait until Spring and post in the Georgia gardening forum on this site, and ask if anyone has a pup for sale or trade. You will gain no advantage by planting now, as the plant won't have time to gain any kind of size to it before frost.

Plant after frost? No. Your corm would just sit there in the ground all winter, and may not come back in the Spring, depending on the severity of your winter and the size of the corm. Just wait until Spring and get a nice plant to start with. By the way, welcome to the wonderful world of growing bananas! You won't be disappointed.

Hi

Thanks a lot for the kind post, you helped me a lot already. I will wait spring and will purchase at a local nursery, I know several, they will carry them.
Anything else I should know don't hesitate to post.

Thanks again

Patrick

Hello!

I, too, am very, very new to bananas! Two plants just entered my life, both end-of-season great mark downs! One is a basjoo, about 2-3 feet tall, but in a 1-gallon pot and looking a bit silly (but seems amazingly stable). The other is a acuminata 'Novak' that looks like it has had a difficult life!

I want to transplant both of them, permanently for the acuminata and just until spring for the basjoo when I plan to plant it out in the yard (I am anticipating a problem finding a sunny, but wind protected spot for it).

What potting mix would you suggest? Food? Should I keep the soil continuously moist, or let it dry out? Any other suggestions?

Thanks!!

I like pro mix hp with osmocote for fertilizer for the potted ones. I like to keep mine on the dry side over winter. I water until water comes out of the drainage holes, then withhold water until soil starts to dry out to the touch. Watch for spider mites. Don't pot into too big of a pot, only about a size bigger will be fine. Too much extra soil will invite rot.

Potting mix: well-drained. Extra organic matter is good.
Bananas grow slower during the winter, so you water them *less* than the rest of the year, when they appreciate ample water.
Watch for spider mites.

seahorse

Thanks, Sandy and Seahorse!! Sounds simple enough; nothing terribly unusual! Keep your fingers crossed!!

You could buy a musa basjoo now and overwinter it as a houseplant until spring. Spider mites are a pain though ... But I managed to keep two mango trees overwinter, so the basjoo should be even easier to take care of.

Thanks Brian, I have been keeping my eyes open for a nice one, but no luck this far, I will wait for the spring.

Patrick

Brian is right on. Buy them now, stick them in pots full of a rich organic mix and let them grow inside. If they get pleny of sunlight and a decent amount of water, by the time spring comes around the corm will be nicely developed and it will have enough leaves for vigorous growth when you transplant it into the ground.

Very occasionally Home Depots in GA will carry them. Your best bet around here is to find a nursery that can order one for you, or search online and get one shipped to you.

Good luck.

To all:
A great source for mail order basjoos is Logee's greenhouses in danielson connecticut. Visit www.logees.com They are a wonderful nursery/greenhouse business, and they are very friendly and knowledgeable.
~derek

Here is a link that might be useful: Logee's Greenhouses

Wait until spring and plant. In the years to come you will have so many banana plants (Musa Basjoo) you will have to give them away or your property will look like a jungle.

Let me know in spring Patrick. I have over 30 basjoo. I just cut them back in the winter and they grow 12-15 feet by summer's end. I'll give you a couple of pups to get ya started.
Darrel

Darrell

Thanks for the generous offer, but how do I get in touch with you when spring comes?
You can email me at vaindioux@NOSPAMyahoo.com and remove NOSPAM.

Thanks a lot

Patrick